Celtics Preseason Stock Report: Payton Pritchard still has the edge against the Nuggets

The Celtics defeated the Nuggets 107-103 on Friday in both teams’ preseason opener.

Wins and losses don’t necessarily matter in the preseason, but the details do. Here’s a preseason stock report.

Stock up

Preseason P

Payton Pritchard missed a chance to add to his growing collection of shots at the halftime siren, but couldn’t get an iron on a difficult attempt. Nevertheless, he continued to present himself as the preseason king.

After averaging 15.6 points in 23.6 minutes per game last preseason, Pritchard surpassed that mark on Friday with 21 points in 24 minutes. He didn’t commit to anything and looked for his shot from the moment he came into the game. He made six of 12 3-point attempts, scoring 14 points in the first half and another seven in the third quarter. The guard sat out the fourth game like the other starters, but provided six assists. The Celtics offense often looked its best with him on the court.

Pritchard’s 2023 preseason run suggested the best season of his career. Perhaps another strong preseason suggests he’s ready to take another step forward.

White’s approach

The two teams began training last week and were certainly still feeling the effects of the 12-hour flight to Abu Dhabi. They had every reason to play some sloppy basketball, and they certainly did that early. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took turns committing ugly turnovers. Luke Kornet badly missed an ambitious tip-in attempt from about 10 feet away. The Celtics defense had some highlights, including when Brown smashed a charge from Vlatko Čančar on the glass, but didn’t always seem like it was connecting.

However, Derrick White worked with passion. He beat Aaron Gordon in the post early in the first quarter and then made several admirable defensive rotations. Midway through the first quarter, White fought back and forth up the court to save possession when the Nuggets had the majority. Later, his persistence forced Michael Porter Jr. into a trip and secured a steal from behind in transition.

It was just preseason. The Celtics are the defending champions. And White, one of their best players, stepped up like he was looking for a spot on the roster. He set the tone that Joe Mazzulla wants. Boston didn’t always play well, but usually played hard.

Tillman’s sweater

Xavier Tillman appeared in 20 regular season games and eight playoff games for the Celtics last season without ever making multiple 3-pointers in a contest. He did that on Friday, going 2-for-3 from deep in the preseason opener.

It would be a significant development for Tillman to become a passable outside shooter. Although his defense is usually stellar, he didn’t find many opportunities to help Boston’s offense last season (with one notable exception when he drilled a crucial three-pointer in the finale). He’ll never be a great finisher, but the Celtics are hoping he can start damaging defenses that leave him open behind the arc.

A 26.7 percent 3-point shooter, Tillman hasn’t shown much evidence that he’ll ever develop a solid outside shot. Including the postseason, he shot 9 for 29 on 3-point attempts (31 percent) after being traded to the Celtics at the trade deadline. But in his first minute of play on Friday, he bravely launched a 3-point attempt above the break and later made two corner attempts. He still needs to do a lot more to prove he can consistently knock down shots, but every three-pointer he makes will be helpful, especially while Kristaps Porziņģis is out.

The Celtics played most of their usual starters in the first half on Friday, but were without their two big players in Porzingis (foot) and Al Horford (rest). In her absence, Kornet had taken over the lead. He scored six points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out three assists.

Derrick White was in top form in the Celtics’ first preseason game. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Inventory reduced

Shoot at the end of the rotation

After using their usual four perimeter starters in Kornet and Xavier Tillman throughout the first quarter, the Celtics began the second quarter with a bench unit. Jaden Springer and Jordan Walsh were both in the lineup, suggesting they could have an early lead to take advantage of any opportunities behind Pritchard and Sam Hauser.

Springer and Walsh each delivered impressive passes and occasionally initiated the offense. They combined five offensive rebounds with some hard falls from the corner. They showed their promising defensive tools. They also combined to shoot 2 for 7 from behind the arc, exposing a potential weakness in the Celtics’ end-of-rotation pieces. Walsh produced both brands, but also hesitated from the sidelines at times. His track record, dating back to his college days, suggests that his outside hitting is questionable at best. The same goes for jumpers.

Preseason rotations don’t always mean much (remember when Juancho Hernangomez started against Horford in the first preseason game under Ime Udoka?), but the Celtics didn’t prioritize shooting with their ninth and 10th finishes in the opener. However, Walsh and Springer had their moments and are fascinating young players in their own way. Among other possible perimeter options, Baylor Scheierman didn’t play until the fourth quarter and Lonnie Walker didn’t appear with players on the deep bench until the final four minutes.

Rookie Scheierman

It’s never wise to overreact to a rookie’s preseason debut. Baylor Scheierman’s career certainly won’t be defined by how well he played eight minutes in the fourth quarter against the Nuggets reserves.

However, Scheierman got off to an inauspicious start. His first 3-point attempt hit the side of the backboard. His second created an airball. He threw an ill-advised pass out of bounds and failed to convert a contested layup on the counterattack. Scheierman intercepted a pass and nearly scored, but is hoping for a more effective offensive performance on his second timeout. He didn’t play any minutes among the rotation starters, perhaps a sign that he’ll likely begin the regular season without a role.

If you hope to see the Celtics, you need fewer 3s

Are there still critics of Mazzulla’s 3-point happy strategy? If so, they must have hated the Celtics’ offensive approach in Abu Dhabi. They made 35 3-point attempts in the first half and finished the game with 61. The latter number would have set a franchise record if it had come in a regular season game. And the Celtics did this without their two big men, Porziņģis and Horford.

Tatum, whose playoff woes became a storyline downtown, started the preseason by knocking down three of seven 3-point attempts in 19 minutes. He was one of six Celtics players to make multiple 3-pointers. That list also included two-way contract player Drew Peterson, who scored 10 points in an impressive fourth quarter against the end of the Nuggets bench. He went 2 for 5 on 3-point attempts.

A lot has changed for the Celtics. A lot has remained the same. They still want to shoot and shoot and shoot some more.

(Photo: Fadel Senna / AFP via Getty Images)